Distractions
by PotatoMasheesh
Summary: "But aren't you enough of a distraction?" Eleanor had accidentally blurted out. Emerald eyes widened at the realization of what she had just done, and almost immediately the exorcist quickly slapped a hand across her mouth. "What was that?"
1. Chapter 1- Shipped

As they sailed across the vast sea aboard the Van Eltia, Velvet had decided to look through the boatload of items that they had managed to gather on their journey. As she did this, she had also managed to convince everyone to wear whatever random thing she had handed out to them.

Eleanor, however, couldn't help but wonder why the therion insisted on making them wear such ridiculous things. She also wondered how on earth she had gotten— of all people— Eizen to agree to wearing what looked to be a halo floating atop his head, along with a ridiculous tail on his behind. How was the halo even floating? Where did the tail even attach to, to stay in that position? Eleanor just couldn't comprehend the situation, and why Velvet thought Rokurou needed more bangs when he had the other half of his face already covered with hair to begin with.

When the exorcist inquired what on earth she was doing however, the therion simply told her that it was a tactic to distract the enemy. While the response was straightforward, Eleanor couldn't help but ponder on Velvet's blunt answer. The exorcist silently watched the therion, who was still busy handing out accessories, as she thought. _Why would we need a distraction?_ Eleanor wondered. Their 'team' wasn't the best in terms of their coordination in general, but one couldn't deny that they were formidable despite this. Besides, Velvet's outfit was enough of a distraction, the exorcist thought as she recalled their previous battles. Vevlet's revealing outfit not only served as a distraction to the enemy, but also to her allies... Well to her, at the very least.

"But aren't you enough of a distraction?" Eleanor accidentally blurted out. Emerald eyes widened at the realization of what she had just done, and almost immediately she slapped her hand over her mouth.

"What was that?" The therion asked, a devious smirk plastered on her face. Velvet stepped closer, striding towards Eleanor. The exorcist's face quickly reddened as Velvet's smug expression seemed to be coming closer at an alarming rate. The exorcist, with all the willpower that she could muster in that moment, managed to look away from the bewitching therion as she stepped back in an attempt to move away from Velvet. Her attempt was in vain, however, as her back had only met a wall. Velvet rested her bandaged arm above Eleanor's head, waiting for an answer. The exorcist could see all of the minute details on Velvet's face with how close they were. If the exorcist moved even the slightest bit forward, they'd lock lips. Eleanor felt like combusting right then and there.

When no response was heard, Velvet pressed on. "I don't think I understand what you meant by that." Eleanor seemed to be more interested in the wooden floorboards of the ship instead of the therion, so she slowly raised the exorcist's chin with her free hand before continuing. "Tell me, what do you find so distracting about me?" The therion asked slowly, her voice tantalizing to Eleanor's ears. The exorcist couldn't stand Velvet being so, _so-_

Eleanor wished she could just die right then and there. But she had to come up with something, or Velvet might not let her go. With weak knees and her mind swimming, the exorcist attempted to muster a reply.

"Uh, I y-your- um-" With the exorcist's mouth refusing to form coherent words, Velvet suddenly stepped away from the exorcist with a slightly pinkish hue on her cheeks. Or perhaps, Eleanor had just imagined that it was there. She couldn't tell because as soon as the therion stepped back, Velvet— seemingly out of nowhere— shoved a large object towards her.

"What the-" Instinctively, Eleanor had grabbed onto whatever was handed to her. Once the exorcist was finally able to take a proper look at the object, she discovered that it was one of the many normin suits that they had found on their journey. It was in the color blue. _Of course._ Eleanor thought to herself as she let out a sigh. If anything, the sudden change of topic, if that was the appropriate word for it, was quite a relief for the exorcist.

"Wear that." Velvet simply said before leaving her. The exorcist couldn't even get a single word in with how fast the therion vanished from view. It was as if Magilou decided to do another magic trick. Eleanor, still dazed and flushed red from what had just happened, swiftly headed back to her room.

As soon as the exorcist arrived at her destination, she had made sure the door was completely shut before quickly launching herself towards the bed. Covering her face with a pillow, she screamed.

"I'm such a dork!"

* * *

"Eleanor, the pure and sweet exorcist, has not only betrayed the Abbey, but has also fallen for the Lord of Calamity herself! How scandalous! If word of this gets out, what will our sweet exorcist do?!"

Little did Eleanor know that her voice was loud enough to be heard from the main deck of the ship. Magilou clutched her chest with one hand, while the other hand was stretched upwards as she continued doing her usual theatrics.

"Now pay up!" The witch quickly spun towards Eizen and grinned as she held out her hand towards him, waiting for the gald that the pirate now owed her.

"Bieeeeeeen! How could this be?! Madam Eleanor couldn't possibly be in love with someone as callous as Velvet!" Bienfu butted into their conversation. "Although," the normin suddenly continued, "Velvet _is_ wife material but-" Before he could get any further with his rambling, Bienfu had realized that Magilou was staring directly at him, evil intentions written all over her face.

"Oh Bienfu, I don't think I asked for your opinion~" The witch said as she approached Bienfu. As she pulled him closer, Magilou whispered something that made the normin yell and run away with tears streaming down his eyes.

"Hmph. I don't think her scream was related to Velvet. Whatever Velvet gave Eleanor to wear must look ridiculous for her to be that loud." Eizen protested, unfazed by what had transpired just moments ago. He emphasized his point by pointing at the halo that was still magically floating atop his head. The pirate was obviously bothered by the accessory, but made no move to remove it. Magilou withdrew her outstretched arm, resting a hand on her waist as she rolled her eyes.

"Of course it was related to Velvet! Buuut-" The witch's enthusiasm was suddenly replaced with a loud sigh as she continued, "Of course you wouldn't understand." Magilou's shoulders dropped as she spoke. Her wide grin from just moments ago turned upside down.

"What does dork even mean?" Rokurou interjected as he approached the pair.

"That as well. And besides, that wasn't much evidence to begin with." Eizen added.

"Urgh… You guys don't even know what dork means, what century do you live in?!" Magilou replied rather dejectedly at the two. She had perked up quickly, however, and continued.

"Since I'm feeling especially magnanimous today, Magilou the great will find more evidence! The forbidden love between human and daemon will unfold right in front of your eyes!" The witch grinned once more, turning around to face the horizon.

"By the way," She added, "I'm raising our bet to fifty thousand gald." Magilou said confidently without looking back.

"Fine by me."


	2. Chapter 2- Men

While they were venturing around the area, Velvet ordered the group to converse with some of the townsfolk they encounter in order to catch up on the latest news as she settled some business with Eizen. Most of what they had heard ranged from random chatter to gossip that was completely off the mark as per usual.

Although, Rokurou noticed that something felt off. He just didn't know what; it was on the tip of his tongue. The swordsman looked around. Other than the funny costumes that Velvet had chosen for them, he just couldn't really tell until Magilou accidentally triggered one of Teresa's fans to go completely delusional.

"That's it!" The swordsman— wearing a black and grey outfit that seemed more suited for the summer— had an epiphany, quickly turning around to face Eleanor. The group's attention suddenly shifted to Rokurou, completely ignoring the Teresa fan that continued to gush about his 'beautiful ice queen' despite the lack of attention he received from them.

"W-what?" The exorcist couldn't help but clutch her chest and step backwards with Rokurou's sudden exclamation.

"You're what's wrong!" The swordsman said rather happily, as if he had made an astonishing discovery.

"Excuse me!?" Eleanor snapped back.

"Er, no, I mean, you aren't what's wrong. I mean, something felt off as soon as we got off the ship. I just thought that it must be your costume… How do you even see in that thing?" Rokurou asked as he crouched down, looking for some sort of way that Eleanor could see through the costume.

"I should be asking you that, Rokurou! You have hair covered over both of your eyes!" The exorcist replied, staring down at the crouched swordsman.

"I'm used to it." Rokurou simply answered back as he crossed his arms.

"Well, I guess I wasn't the only one who felt that something was different…" Laphicet, in a costume that looked like it had come straight out of a fairytale, had muttered. "Eleanor, are you okay?" The malak asked as he looked up towards the exorcist, concern riddled in his expression. The bunny ears on his head shifted when he moved to tilt his head.

"I'm fine, Laphice-" Before Eleanor was able to answer the malak's question, Magilou chimed in.

"Ohoho~ I was about to call you out on that too, Eleanor!" Magilou joined in on the conversation as she had finally managed to shush the gushing Teresa fan with one of her artes. Bienfu looked absolutely terrified as he witnessed the Teresa fan suddenly collapse, while the rest of the group didn't seem to notice what had happened.

"So, my dear exorcist, what has been bothering you so? You've been awwwfully silent today~" The witch teased as she invaded Eleanor's personal space. Magilou was donned in a rather strange attire. It was what she liked to call the 'The Menagerie's Mistress Costume.'

"Preetty sure it's the costume." Rokurou said casually as he shrugged. Laphicet tilted his head as he waited for the exorcist's response.

"While I do agree that this costume is quite bothersome, I'm completely fine. Perhaps I'm just not used to walking around in such a thing." Eleanor said in a such a way that made her sound like she was giving a mission report to the Abbey. Rokurou silently thought of how strange it would be if a normin were to be that stiff.

"Told ya," The swordsman said. Before they could end their conversation, however, the witch protested.

"Nonsense! Eleanor, don't hide your feelings like that, because that's totally Velvet's thing…" Magilou exclaimed, her face scrunched up in mock-concern.

"But don't worry dear, because I know what's been bothering you this whole time!" The witch raised her arm to emphasize her point. Eleanor knew that this was going to lead to nowhere, but something inside of her wanted to entertain the witch's antics anyway.

"Then tell me, Miss Magilou, what has been bothering me this whole time?" The exorcist played along with the witch. A shit-eating grin spread so quickly on Magilou's face that Eleanor had begun to regret her decision.

"Men!" The witch quickly exclaimed before continuing, leaving no time for the exorcist to react. "Besides Teresa and the Lord of Calamity being the usual talk of the town, you're always in the spotlight yourself!" Magilou crossed her hands on top of her chest. "Countless men from across the world have been asking for your hand in marriage, Eleanor!" The witch had suddenly grabbed both of Eleanor's hands as she spoke, her eyes shimmering passionately as she did. The exorcist's eyes widened in response from what she had just heard, but the costume had hidden her expression from view. Both Rokurou and Laphicet were both silent, eager to hear more.

"You always decline them, or find a way to avoid the question, but I can see it in your eyes!" Magilou closed her eyes and paused her monologue for a brief moment, breathing deeply as she did. Eleanor did not like where this was going. The witch tightened her grip on the exorcist's hands.

"You want to love, and you want somebody to love you in return!" Magilou said dramatically as she released her hold. Eleanor's eyes felt like they were about to pop out of her skull. Rokurou's eyes widened as well, and Laphicet had let out an audible gasp.

"However!" The witch continued, "Something is stopping you from accepting these men into your heart, correct?"

"No, Magilou please sto-" Eleanor desperately wanted Magilou to just stop talking. This was going way too far for her liking, and to the exorcist's dismay, both of the guys seemed to be buying it.

"Indeed! The Lord of Calamity, has you trapped! In fact, the costume she forced on you is proof that she wants-"

"Magilou!" A threatening voice echoed. A frightening presence loomed behind the witch and in a fraction of a moment, Eleanor swore she saw a genuine look of fear flash on Magilou's face. The exorcist silently thanked the Empyreans for Velvet's arrival.

"Ah, Velvet! We were just talking about you!" Magilou said enthusiastically as she twirled around to face the therion. Any traces of fear that the witch might've had completely vanished as she continued her little act.

Eizen and Velvet stood side by side, the former relieved of the ridiculous dog tail, but not of the halo that still floated atop his head. The bangs covering his face were messily brushed away from his face, putting his forehead on display. His face was also framed with a pair of glasses. As for his clothing, Eizen seemed to be wearing clothes that a butler would wear.

Velvet however, was dressed in what could only be described by the exorcist as pirate clothes, that was in, of course, in her usual red and black palette. Her current apparel was less revealing than her usual outfit, but it still accentuated her body all the same. In addition, her hair was tied up into a rather messy ponytail.

"Weren't you supposed to talk to people around town and not amongst yourselves?" Velvet said impatiently as she waited for an explanation.

"Well we were doing that, but Eleanor here is feeling so upset about having to wear such a costume! Velvet, I know you're jealous-"

"Jealous?" The therion interrupted the witch as she rested her hand on her hip. Her body language was evident; she was challenging the witch. Magilou's mischievous grin had soon reappeared.

"Well, this can't be good. What's Magilou going on about this time?" Eizen muttered in a low voice as he approached the rest of the group.

Eleanor sighed, no longer wanting to be a part of Magilou's antics while Laphicet simply stayed silent for the exorcist's sake, as he felt that her mood wasn't getting any better at all.

"Just see for yourself." Was Rokurou's simple reply to the pirate. Eizen redirected his gaze to the pair who had been staring each other down. Magilou was the first to break eye contact as she fluttered her eyelids slowly, making Velvet feel even more irritated.

"Yes, of course. Why else would you make Eleanor wear a normin costume, of all things? Clearly, it's not the attention of men that you want," The witch said as she twirled around the therion, stopping at Velvet's side to whisper in her ear, "It's Eleanor that you want to keep aaallllll to yourself~"


	3. Chapter 3-Losing

"Am I right, Velvet dear?"

The rest of the group hadn't heard what Magilou had whispered to Velvet before stepping back to ask the earlier question, but it was evident to all of them that whatever she said had definitely hit the mark. The therion's face was almost about as red as her clothing as she glared at the witch. Whether it was out of embarrassment or rage? Eleanor couldn't tell. It could be perhaps, a mix of both, she mused. A low growl escaped Velvet's lips soon after, causing chills to go down the exorcist's spine. Eleanor silently wondered what the witch might've said to cause such a strong reaction from Velvet. The exorcist would never admit it, but at that moment, the therion looked quite adorable… and terrifying at the same time. Velvet always had something to say, or usually had the last word in, but this was different... Eleanor hoped that what had transpired between the two of them wouldn't affect the entire group, as they already had enough problems to deal with.

"Hey Eleanor," A small voice whispered as the exorcist felt something tugging at her costume.

"Yes, Laphicet?" Eleanor looked at the malak and inquired, trying to keep her voice down. The atmosphere between Velvet and Magilou was too tense for her to even dare to disturb the terrifying silence that had loomed over as soon as the witch taunted the therion.

"What do you think Magilou said? Velvet looks really mad…" Laphicet innocently asked as he tilted his head, concerned for the therion.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I know what she could've said either. You know how unpredictable Magilou can get." The exorcist answered honestly as she tried her best to face Laphicet. The large normin costume that barely allowed her to see or move much to begin with wasn't helping her at all.

"Yeah, I guess so.." The malak mumbled back, looking quite perplexed as he did.

"We're going to hunt for more code red daemons," The therion suddenly said as she began to trail further away from the group. "We're low on funds, let's go." Velvet continued as she raised and unrolled a paper that she had kept with her. It contained some details on the current code red hunts that they had yet to slay.

"I wonder if there are any code red daemons that use swords…" Rokurou thought aloud as he followed behind the therion, no longer caring about what had just happened earlier. Women were to complicated for him to comprehend. Not that he really cared about understanding what had happened. That was between them.

"There probably are some who do. Swords are a common weapon after all. How they use them to their advantage would be much more interesting to see." Eizen stated matter-of-factly as he followed them, trying his best to ignore the irritating thought of Magilou actually winning their bet that bubbled at the back of his mind.

"I think it'd also be cool to see what techniques they use with the swords, and what their swords are made of!" Laphicet piped up happily, content with the shift in atmosphere and conversation.

"Yeah, that's true. Man, now I'm really pumped to fight those daemons!" Rokurou said enthusiastically as he puffed his chest, a grin plastered on his face. Velvet sighed as she overheard their conversation. Silence followed soon after the boys' earlier conversation had ended. But the silence didn't last too long when Eleanor realized that she had missed something crucial.

"Wait Velvet, you don't expect me to fight in this... Right?!" Eleanor suddenly panicked as she had realized her unfortunate predicament. When only a snicker was heard from Rokurou, the exorcist sped up her pace.

"Velvet!" Eleanor yelled. To the exorcist's dismay, she had only earned an amused smirk from the therion who had quickened her pace immediately after doing so.

"Don't worry Eleanor, I'll protect you!" Laphicet smiled as he held the exorcist's hand through the normin costume.

"I know you will, but I'm supposed to be protecting you!" Eleanor stressed as the malak withdrew his hand. _How am I supposed to do that now, in this!?_ The exorcist's thoughts on how impossible it would be to fight in a normin costume had invaded her mind.

"If there's a will, there's a way, you know." Rokurou interjected, grinning at the evidently frustrated exorcist.

"That doesn't help me in the slightest!" Eleanor shouted as she closed her fists tightly out of frustration.

"You can do it Eleanor!" Laphicet encouraged the exorcist.

"And if you can't, you aren't going to die. Not on my watch." Velvet had suddenly joined the conversation. Both Eleanor's and Eizen's eyes had widened at what the therion had said. Velvet bit her lip, suddenly feeling very fortunate that everyone was behind her and unable to see her facial expression. She had no clue as to what her mind was thinking; to voice out such a ridiculous thought was careless…

 _Wait. That wasn't my fault._ Velvet thought to herself. In fact, her mind continued, if she weren't so distracting, and if her admirers weren't so infuriating, she wouldn't have to had put the normin costume on her to begin with. Even though the therion knew that her reasoning was bullshit, what else could she do? Allow herself to be distracted by Eleanor so that she could end up dead before she could even pierce her blade through Artorius? Absolutely not.

"You're losing! The Reaper's Curse sucks, doesn't it?" Rokurou whispered to the pirate as he snickered. His eyes seemed to be tearing up in glee as well, although the swordsman's eyes could barely be seen over his obnoxious bangs that resembled an overgrown jungle. Eizen only glared back to what looked like Rokurou's eyes in reply.

"We can't have Phi's vessel die on us, after all." The therion suddenly added as she had once again quickened her pace.

"Oh, o-of course." Eleanor answered, wondering why she had felt disappointed at hearing Velvet's reasoning. While the exorcist did have an inkling as to why that was so, she silently pondered why the feeling was so strong.

While the rest of the group had followed Velvet and immersed themselves in idle chatter, Magilou had purposefully stayed behind, letting everyone else go ahead of her. She rested her arms behind her head, letting herself vocalize her thoughts as soon as everyone was out of earshot.

"I guess I hit the mark, didn't I?" Her lips formed a devious smile as more ideas had flooded into her mind.

"Miss Magilou…?" Bienfu muttered as he looked at the witch, watching how her facial expressions had quickly shifted from happy to devious. The normin supposed that he should be used to this, but he couldn't help but feel slightly concerned.

"It looks like we have a show to run, Bienfu~"


	4. Chapter 4- X Marks the Spot

A/N: There are some very slight spoilers for those who haven't finished the game yet though. If you haven't gone to Aball in the middle of the game yet and don't want to be spoiled, I suggest you don't read this chapter.

* * *

"But anyway," The swordsman suddenly inquired as the band of misfits trudged through the crimson sea of trees in search of a code red daemon, "Eizen, why do you have a halo on your head?" Rokurou wondered. The pirate's usual frown had become more prominent. Shortly after, a grunt escaped his lips at the thought of how he ended up wearing the accessory in the first place.

"Ask Velvet.." He simply said while raising his arms up, indicating that he didn't know the answer to the swordsman's inquiry, nor did he know why Rokurou's vision seemed to be completely fine despite the layers of hair in front of his eyes. But the pirate kept that thought to himself as he believed that there are some things that shouldn't be questioned. The strange outfit choices Velvet had selected for them were one of those things. If they were called oddballs before, what on earth would everyone call them now? Eizen wondered, concerned for himself and his crewmates' reputation.

"Well?" Rokurou said as he tilted his head, expecting an answer from the therion. To be honest, Velvet wasn't so sure either. There was just this… strange side of her mind that suddenly pushed her to get the pirate to wear the halo.

 _Omg foreshadowing for zestiria! This is perf lolol… Wait why am I laughing at this, I'm supposed to be… sad? Buuuut I'm as dead inside and heartless as this protag so what does it matter lmaoo. wait is it right to call her a protag tho?_ was what the other side had echoed into her mind at the time. The strange and annoying voice said a lot more after that, but she couldn't recall since it barely made any sense. Velvet didn't really want to know what else that voice had to say either, as she'd rather strangle it if she could for being so loud and obnoxious.

"...Foreshadowing, I think.." Velvet mumbled out, her arms crossed subconsciously while she pondered.

Velvet wasn't so sure as to who owned the voice as well, since it definitely didn't sound like herself, nor did she know what some of the words even meant. She just knew that the strange presence that resided in her mind was there as soon as she had gotten out of Titania. Was she going insane, or was this a side effect of being a daemon? The therion didn't know, but she knew that she would agree to anything just to get rid of that voice in her head.

"Ookay then.." Rokurou replied, unsure on how he should respond.

Distracted with her own thoughts, Velvet seemed to ignore the swordsman's reply entirely. Laphicet tilted his head, wondering what was on Velvet's mind. He then turned his gaze to the therion, the bunny ears slightly drooping as he did. The boy pondered on the therion's answer, while Eizen narrowed his eyes at Velvet. Magilou, however, didn't seem to care for the conversation. The witch didn't even bother to crack a joke or something of the sort, much to Eleanor's surprise.

"Besides that…" Eleanor suddenly started, unable to bear the sudden silence and her own curiosity, "Eizen, why is Velvet wearing… that?" The exorcist asked the pirate as she gestured towards Velvet's apparel. A sharp glare that screamed attention was directed at Eleanor as Eizen was about to speak. Eleanor immediately knew from his expression that she had just triggered Eizen's interests. _It could take hours for him to finish explaining himself..._ Eleanor begrudgingly thought as she steeled herself..

"Here we go agaaain~ Great job, Eleanor!" Magilou had suddenly said sarcastically as she patted the exorcist's back with so much force that Eleanor had almost fallen over.

On normal circumstances, a push with that much force shouldn't have affected the exorcist. However, she was still in her normin costume, which seemed to have granted her a little bit of the Reaper's Curse, much to Eleanor's annoyance. If it weren't for Velvet suddenly gripping her arm to keep her upright, the exorcist would have fallen face-first on the ground. Although, how the therion was suddenly right by her side was a mystery to her, since Velvet was initially a few steps away from everyone else as she was leading the group.

"Do you not remember the travesty you, and everyone else here has caused?!" Eizen's low voice boomed, alerting Eleanor that the pirate had begun his rambling. "Might I remind you that the crew's image has been tainted! And because of that, I was left with no choice but to pursue my idea of getting apparel tailored for you all. It is a must for you all to look as menacing and as ruthless as possible, and not 'soft,' like what has been going around. You all should remember that the reputation of Aifread's pirates is on the line, and so action must be done!" Eizen huffed, much to Eleanor's relief as she had thought that he was finished talking.

"Although," The pirate suddenly continued, much to Eleanor's— and to everyone's— dismay, "due to the amount of gald we have, it'll take a while before everyone has their own. Considering how run down Velvet's apparel was, and how she, being the Lord of Calamity, could easily change our reputation with her just being herself, I decided to get hers tailored first." Eizen explained as he started to approach Velvet. "Now, lo and behold! A perfect outfit for Velvet, or rather, Sanguine Velvet the Bloody!"

"Sanguine Velvet the Bloody.." Eleanor muttered as she shook her head, silently questioning Eizen and his decisions. She had heard the title before, but it didn't make it any less ridiculous.

"Indeed. Menacing, isn't it? Men will tremble before her!" The pirate said with conviction. Eleanor mumbled an affirmation, just to provide a response to the pirate's enthusiasm. Magilou was the opposite, however, as she didn't even try to hide her eye roll at that.

While the strange title didn't matter to Velvet, she still thought it was ridiculous given how repetitive it was. Though she didn't voice that thought out, as she had already did before and ended up with fruitless results. Eizen continued to insist that the name sounded great. "Don't they tremble before me, the so-called 'Lord of Calamity,' already?" The therion decided to ask instead while she rested her right hand on her hips, shifting her body as she did.

"Even more so!" The pirate said as he grinned, cerulean eyes sparkling with conviction. His expression reminded Velvet of a little boy.

"Yuuup! because you know, Bloody Velvet the Bloody sounds preeettty great, don't 'cha think?" Magilou quipped. Rokurou snorted at that.

"It's Sanguine Velvet the Bloody!" Eizen argued. "There's a difference!" The pirate added as he crossed his arms.

"Still Eizen, it means the same thing.." Eleanor said as she sighed. The pirate frowned like a child upon hearing the exorcist.

"Yeah… But it's okay Eizen! I think it sounds pretty cool! Right Velvet?" Laphicet said with a smile on his face as he looked at the pirate, and then to Velvet. Eizen's lips formed a small smile upon hearing the boy's words. The pirate closed his eyes, nodding in agreement to Laphicet's words.

"...Whatever floats your boat." Velvet said with a sigh, outstretching her arms and palms to express her lack of concern. Laphicet giggled a bit at that while Eleanor closed her eyes and smiled. _Velvet can be so surprisingly… endearing sometimes.._ The exorcist's thoughts began to wander as she directed her gaze at the therion. Velvet then decided to converse with the rest of the group.

Eleanor recalled the gentle side of Velvet when they were in Aball. It was a shame that it was all an illusion. Although, at the same time, the exorcist wouldn't know what would happen if the illusion was real. Would Velvet give up her revenge and live a normal life in that village again? Eleanor pondered. She was swimming in her thoughts until loud stomping noises were ringing in her ears.. At first Eleanor thought it was all in her head, until Magilou had suddenly yelled.

"Sorry to distract you all from your oh-so-interesting conversation, but unless you want to end up as bloody as Bloody Velvet the Bloody, I suggest you give that thing some attention!" Magilou yelled as she began to cast her artes.

"It's _Sanguine!"_ Eizen argued like a child, preparing his artes in the process of doing so. The pirate only received a mischievous grin from the witch.

The rest of the group intercepted the enemy as well. Unsurprisingly, Rokurou was already headed for the daemon with his blades drawn out. Almost immediately, Velvet drew her blade and followed suit, recklessly dashing towards the behemoth.

"Be careful!" Eleanor shouted as she tried her best to approach the enemy despite the discomfort that her costume brought. Running and doing her usual movements didn't seem to be a viable option at the moment, so the exorcist stuck with casting the artes that she could perform. She wasn't as powerful a mage as Magilou or Laphicet by any means, but she had to make due with what she had.

Blades screeched as they came in contact with the behemoth's horns, the painful sounds aggravating the beast even more. It charged towards Velvet, rage evident in its eyes as the behemoth continued to chase the therion. Eizen's wind artes managed to slow the behemoth, but it remained relentless as its golden eyes glowed, charging towards Velvet once more. The beast's hide was riddled with scratches, but neither Rokurou's nor Velvet's blades seemed to be able to get through its skin. On the other hand, Magilou's and Eizen's artes seemed to be doing the trick as the beast was evidently weakening with every arte that hit it.

 _Goddamn, it's a prickleboar on steroids wtf!_ The other side of Velvet's head had suddenly emerged. Couldn't she get a moment of silence during battle? Or at the very least, could the voice inside her head at least make sense? What on earth were steroids anyway!? The therion seethed as she flipped backwards, dodging the behemoth's horns from nearly piercing through her torso.

 _THAT WAS SO CLOSE, WE ALMOST DIED! BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, MY COMBO IS RUINED, UGH!_ The voice inside of her head yelled as the beast had suddenly turned its attention towards another target. Seeing as the behemoth was too occupied with a maelstrom of artes being directed at it, Velvet took a brief moment to clear her head before rejoining the battle. Distractions like these could cost her life.

"Velvet!" Rokurou suddenly called, tossing an apple gel towards her. The therion quickly caught the gel and consumed it, nodding her head at the swordsman in gratitude. Meanwhile, the behemoth's attention had been turned towards Magilou during the brief moment that the two sword wielders backed off. The beast didn't seem to care for Laphicet's and Eleanor's artes, however, as it continued to plow its way towards the witch.

After successfully redirecting the behemoth's attention away from Magilou, who was nearly crushed if it weren't for the sword wielders' intervention, Velvet knew that the beast wouldn't last much longer. She also knew that the team wouldn't be able to keep fighting for so long either.

Magilou was crouching down on the ground, clutching her chest. Her eyes were wide as she was trying to catch her breath. It was evident that the witch was absolutely spent, and it made Velvet feel uneasy to see Magilou— the witch who always seemed to have so much energy— in such a fragile state. Meanwhile, Laphicet was catching his breath as he healed Rokurou's injuries to the best of his abilities. Eizen and Eleanor, on the other hand, looked evidently worn out from battle as well. Even if they tried their best to keep going as they casted their artes, the therion could tell they were exhausted just by looking at their posture.

As Eizen's air thrust had hit the beast, it had suddenly stopped moving. Unleashing her daemon arm, Velvet sprinted towards the subdued behemoth, her monstrous arm ready to consume the beast. However, as she brought her arm down, the beast darted towards the opposite direction with renewed vigor. Velvet had miscalculated; the battle wasn't over just yet. The therion grinded her teeth in frustration as she picked up her pace, chasing after the behemoth.

As soon as Eleanor realized that the beast was rushing towards her, her first instinct was to ready her spear to counter the attack. However the exorcist, in the heat of battle, had completely forgotten her own predicament: she was in a normin costume, and her movement was _very_ limited. Eleanor had realized much too late as she stood her ground. She knew that running wouldn't do much at this point. In fact, her fleeing from the beast might make things worse. Gripping her spear the best she could, she prepared herself for the worst.

When the behemoth was within range, the exorcist managed to parry one of its large horns from injuring her. However, what she wasn't able to fight against was the force that their brief contact made, causing her spear to spiral out of her grip. The beast had also moved forward so suddenly that Eleanor didn't have time to react as the behemoth stomped down. In the midst of this, the exorcist's foot was caught in between the beast's hoof and the ground. A scream of pain had erupted from Eleanor as the beast's weight was crushing her foot. Falling to the ground, Eleanor's vision turned white. Tears began to stream down her face due to the unbearable pain.

"Lethal pain!" A familiar voice yelled. As the large claw slashed through the behemoth's skin, the beast disintegrated almost immediately, only leaving a residue of dark particles around the area where it once stood.

"Eleanor!" Velvet's eyes widened as she rushed to the exorcist's aide. "Phi!" The therion called as Laphicet quickly rushed towards them. Barely conscious, Eleanor could scarcely register that the therion had removed the head of the normin costume she wore, wiping away her tears as the malak began to heal her. Evidently tired, Velvet had stopped Laphicet after he was about to perform another healing arte when the boy noticed that the bruising on Eleanor's foot hadn't healed much.

"Don't push yourself too much, Phi." The therion said. Before he could protest, Velvet hooked her right arm underneath Eleanor's back, her left under the exorcist's legs and slowly stood up, lifting Eleanor in the process. Velvet slightly adjusted her arms, finding a more comfortable position that would put less strain on herself. Laphicet, worried about the unconscious exorcist in the therion's arms decided to go and rest inside Eleanor, in hopes that their combined strength would make her feel even a little bit better, at the very least. Turning to face the rest of the group with Eleanor unconscious in her arms, Velvet began to speak.

"We'll head to Taliesin, get the bounty from this kill, and stay in an inn for now. I don't think any of us are in any condition to do anything else." The therion said with such certainty in her voice as she was holding a giant beheaded normin in her arms that Magilou couldn't help but let out a tired, breathy laugh as she stood up from her crouched position. As soon as the witch stood up, however, she couldn't help but bend down again. She clutched her sides and laughed even harder. Rokurou, Eizen, and Laphicet watched Magilou with confused looks on their faces. Velvet, however, looked annoyed at the witch's reaction.

"Stop fooling around, and let's go." Velvet said as she glared at Magilou, who didn't seem affected by it at all.

"Oh," Magilou replied, eyes sparkling with mischief as she took a quick breath before she continued, "But I'm serious about my fooling around!" The witch said as she twirled. Velvet rolled her eyes at that, and began to walk away from the group. Everyone else had decided to follow suit and trudged behind Velvet with their remaining strength. They were all equally exhausted, and what Velvet proposed didn't seem like a bad idea at all.

"Awww, what a killjoy!" Magilou said as loud as she could in her tired state. Despite being exhausted, a mischievous grin was plastered on her face as she walked. Resting her arms behind her head, Magilou stared at Eizen.

"What?" The pirate asked.

"X marks the spot!" Magilou said suddenly. Eizen continued to look at the witch as he frowned, waiting for an explanation. This was without a doubt one of her antics at work yet again. How she managed to have enough energy to mess with him right now was beyond him.

"I can't believe Sanguine Velvet the Bloody has found her treasure, and in such a short time too!" The witch said enthusiastically as she tilted her head to get a better view of Eizen's face. "Hmm, you must be soo jealous~! A great pirate such as yourself has been beaten by a rookie! Aifread would be so, so ashamed of you! What do you have to say for yourself?" Magilou said as she pointed an accusing finger at the pirate.

"What are you getting at?" Eizen finally decided to ask, too tired to really care.

"Fifty. Thousand. Gald." The witch stated as her grin stretched from ear to ear.


	5. Chapter 5- Treasure

After a long while of walking, the group had found themselves at an inn, waiting for Magilou to finish her transaction with the innkeeper. Velvet was the one who usually did this to make sure that no money was wasted into overpriced rooms and the like, but she couldn't now, as her hands were currently being occupied by an unconscious exorcist. Eizen was supposed to take over but the witch— who seemed too enthusiastic for anyone's liking— had beat him to it.

"Here are your keys to the rooms. Thank you for your patronage!" The innkeeper said quite happily. Magilou ignored the innkeeper as she twirled around, handing a key to Eizen, and then dropping another key on Eleanor's abdomen.

"So because I'm sure you all know how you'd all be dead if it weren't for me, I went ahead and rewarded myself~!" The witch said as she held up another key, one that looked much fancier than the other keys that she had handed out.

"You took a room just for yourself," Velvet said. It was more of a statement rather than a question, though Magilou could sense that she was treading on dangerous grounds. Not that she cared, anyway.

"Exactly~! My, my, aren't you a clever gal!" The witch said as she tilted her head and grinned. Velvet looked like she could devour her with just her glare, but she pressed on.

"Now, now, I know you're always so fierce and ready to devour me, but I'm afraid your dear mistress must get some rest!" Taking yet another chance, Magilou quickly bopped the therion's nose with a single finger before skipping off to her room for the night.

Velvet was annoyed by the witch's actions, but with her current predicament, it wasn't possible to retaliate. Resigned, she made her way towards her decided to deal with Magilou the next day.

As Velvet placed Eleanor down onto the bed, she began to prepare the baths, knowing full well that the both of them needed it. She also decided to think about how exactly Eleanor would be able to take a bath in her unconscious state, or rather, how she would give her a bath given the exorcist's current state. Before the therion could do much, however, a bright light had shot up from Eleanor's body, indicating Laphicet's separation from the exorcist.

"Is something the matter?" Velvet went straight to the point as soon as Laphicet had appeared.

"Um, no, Eleanor is fine," Laphicet muttered. Even if she hadn't directly asked, the boy knew she was asking about the exorcist's state more than his. "Velvet," he continued, "If it's alright with you, I want to stay with Eizen for tonight since I just finished the book he gave me and I wanted to know more about the ancient treasures and stuff," Laphicet answered meekly. Til this day, Velvet was still irked by the fact that the boy always felt the need to ask her for permission. He was no longer a slave, after all. She thought that she had made that clear.

"Do whatever you want, you don't have to ask me for permission." Velvet replied, waving her hand nonchalantly as she did. The boy smiled back at her before quickly scurrying towards Eizen and Rokurou's shared room for the night.

Now it was just her and Eleanor.

 _Oh._

 _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA_

* * *

For once, Velvet was thankful for that strange voice in her head. The constant screaming at the back of her mind distracted her from staring at Eleanor for too long, or doing anything, _rash_ , to gently put it, as she tended to her earlier. Right now, the exorcist was resting on the bed, fast asleep.

What the therion was concerned about however, was the fact that Eleanor had been unconscious for too long. While the exorcist could be doing it on purpose, Velvet highly doubted it as she knew that Eleanor wasn't one for depending on others, especially for someone such as herself. The exorcist had even made brief eye contact with the therion as Velvet was giving her a bath. She seemed to quickly return to her slumber after that before Velvet could react. However, it could just be that Eleanor, besides the injury, was just completely exhausted from everything that had happened. That could be it.

Content with that conclusion, Velvet had fixed her makeshift bed on the floor as Eleanor was already using the bed. While the bed could evidently fit two people, Velvet knew how dangerous it would be if she were to sleep next to the injured exorcist. So setting a pillow and some sheets down— not that she'd use them, she's used to sleeping on the ground anyway— she went to sleep.

* * *

 _Crimson, viscous, metallic… That was all she could see; that was all she could taste. Pools of blood and dead bodies decorated the terrain. The moon, large and bloodshot, illuminated a single creature as she feasted. The only thing on her mind was blood._

 _How it had looked when her brother's life had been taken away._

 _How it had tasted when she consumed countless innocents._

 _How it had smelled when she hungered from the confines of her cell._

 _How it had felt when she was stabbed by her own kin._

"AAARGH!" An agonized scream had erupted from the slumbering therion, abruptly waking Eleanor up. Quickly sitting up from her position, the exorcist looked for the source of the sound. As soon as she had found Velvet on the ground, not too far away from her, she slowly made her way to the therion. As Velvet tossed and tumbled in her sleep, Eleanor held in the urge to whimper in pain as she approached.

With no other position being comfortable enough given her injury, Eleanor had settled for lying down in front of Velvet as she patted her back. Noticing the tears flowing down the therion's closed eyes, the exorcist held her close. Velvet was squirming in Eleanor's hold, but not long after, she seemed to have calmed down.

"Velvet, it's okay… it's just a dream.." Eleanor mumbled. Even though she knew that her words fell on deaf ears, she felt the need to repeat those words... probably to stop herself from crying as well. She had seen the pain that Velvet had gone through. Eleanor knew that she wouldn't even be able to live a day in the therion's shoes. How Velvet even managed to keep going despite the odds was a feat in itself.

 _It must hurt so much…_

"What are you doing!?" Velvet exclaimed, suddenly wide awake as she jumped away from the exorcist.

"I- you looked uncomfortable there, so I… wanted to let you sleep beside me." Eleanor replied, her features quickly reddening as she looked away from the therion. For a moment, the two of them remained silent until Velvet's gaze had landed on her loosened bandages.

"Didn't you see me?!" The therion, voice full of emotion, said loudly.

"I could've hurt you, you know. Killed you even…" She continued, the tone of her voice becoming more calm as she spoke. "Laphicet would've lost his vessel with your carelessness." Velvet looked directly into Eleanor's eyes.

"I know but, I couldn't stand to see you in such-"

"What do you know-!?" The therion interrupted.

"I don't. I know I can't understand your pain, nor what you're going through, but please…" Eleanor shifted closer and grasped both of Velvet's hands with her own before continuing. "You should at least sleep with me—I-I mean on the bed," The exorcist's face had colored to an embarrassing shade that she knew Velvet could see as clear as day with how close they were. Shifting her gaze to their hands, she continued. "Let your body at least rest comfortably even if your mind can't. After all, you have to be at your best if you want to get your revenge.."

"...Fine." The therion answered curtly. Velvet was just lucky that Eleanor was too busy looking at their hands to see her blushing as well. Taking her hands back from the exorcist, the therion moved in order to put her hands under Eleanor's body.

"Wait, what are you-" Eleanor squeaked as Velvet lifted her.

"You're injured. I don't know how you even got down here, but don't try that again." The therion huffed as she walked towards the bed.

Eleanor was going to go insane at this point with how fast her chest was pounding. The exorcist could feel something else besides her chest pounding near her, but dismissed it as soon as Velvet lowered her to the bed. Not long after, the weight of the bed shifted and Velvet was much too close for comfort given the bed's size. It could fit the both of them, but it was much too cramped for the both of them to be comfortable. Eleanor knew she couldn't sleep like this, not with Velvet's face this close to hers. Before Eleanor could turn around, however, Velvet had spoken up.

"...I might hurt you in my sleep. You'll have to restrain me. "

"Restrain you?" Eleanor asked. All of a sudden, the therion took a hold of the exorcist's arms and placed them around her torso. Eleanor's eyes went wide.

"There. Don't let go." Velvet simply said as she shifted to turn around, still in the exorcist's embrace.

"O-okay.." Was the exorcist's nervous reply. Eleanor may have done this earlier, but this was something different entirely. Velvet wanted her to…

Eleanor couldn't stop herself from internally screaming.


	6. Chapter 6- Pay the Price

AN: Hi im trash at updates and this story is trashy but I felt bad because I didnt finish it lmao. So here you go, all previous chapters have been edited- sort of- to make this whole thing less cringeworthy

Any comments and feedback are appreciated, and thank you for bearing with me lol

* * *

Magilou woke up earlier than the rest of the crew. Given how hectic the previous day's events were, she wouldn't be surprised if they all woke up in the afternoon. As soon as the witch had gotten out of her bed and fixed herself, she decided to start the day right.

To do this, she made her way towards Velvet and Eleanor's shared room to see the gay shit™. Before opening the door, however, she had spotted a familiar pirate walking across the hall from the corner of her eye.

"Eizen," She called. Her voice was soft, but loud enough for the pirate to hear. Without a word, he approached the witch.

"I know," He whispered.

"What?" For the briefest of moments, confusion had overtaken Magilou's features. Eizen simply pointed at the door.

"You win," He said, defeat in his tone. A grin quickly broke out from the witch's face. Curiosity getting the better of her, Magilou hastily opened the door, her movements disrupting the morning's tranquility.

"You idiot, if Velvet hears you, you're—" Eizen screamed in the softest tone he could muster, glaring daggers at the witch whose smile seemed to reach the high heavens as she peeked through the door's opening.

"Where's the gay shit!?" Magilou screamed back in a whisper, quickly whipping her head towards the pirate. If Eizen's reflexes weren't fast enough to instinctively move himself away from the witch, she would have headbutted him.

"The what?" Eizen asked as he shoved Magilou away from the door's opening to peer into the room. Eleanor was sound asleep alone on the bed. He could've sworn Velvet was there with her moments ago.

"Velvet was—" The pirate tried to say, until he was interrupted.

"I was what, Eizen?" Both Eizen and Magilou's blood had frozen cold as they had noticed the tall figure looming behind them. Out of impulse, the witch couldn't help but open her mouth.

"Any chance I could get in on that too, my dear dove?" The witch commented. Eizen's eyes looked like they were ready to pop out of his skull.

"Get out of my way before I devour you both," The daemon threatened as the bandages on her arm were slowly coming loose. A sinister aura was emanating from Velvet as she clenched her firsts. Magilou grinned at their predicament while Eizen looked like he wanted to run for his life. Throwing out all concern for herself and the pirate, the witch shot back.

"I'd like that,"

"Magilou you fucking—"

"GET OUT!" Velvet yelled. Smoke seemed to be coming out of the daemon's ears as Eizen ran while Magilou happily skipped away, following the pirate.

"You owe me fifty thousand gaaaaaaalldd~!" The witch yelled gleefully across the hall.

Breathing in deeply, Velvet entered her room and nearly slammed the door shut if it weren't for her remembering last minute that Eleanor was still fast asleep. Turning around as she massaged her temples, she realized that the exorcist had already woken up and was trying to get out of bed.

"Hey, what was that commotion all about?" Eleanor said tiredly as she slowly swung her legs towards the edge of the bed, ready to get up. Velvet crossed her arms instinctively as red hues faintly blossomed from her cheeks upon seeing the exorcist.

"It's nothing. Just Magilou being Magilou." The daemon said, her voice softening as she looked away. "You can go back to sleep," Velvet added.

Eleanor nodded groggily in response as she carefully tried to maneuver her legs back to the bed. As the exorcist was doing this, she felt a pair of strong hands place her legs back into its original position.

"Thank you," She managed to mumble out before stifling a yawn, "But I don't think I can sleep like this," Eleanor added as she rubbed her eyes.

"Why not?" Velvet asked back as she watched the exorcist. If Eleanor was more conscious, her rational mind would have stopped her from voicing out her next thoughts.

"I'm cold. Keep me warm." The exorcist said, too groggy to care about anything at that moment as she lied back down on the bed. She looked at the daemon as she did so, waiting for a response.

"..." For a moment, Velvet did not know how to respond to Eleanor. With her face heating up, she coughed into her hand and tried to spit out any sentence that her brain could muster at that moment.

"D-do you want me to get you more blankets or something?" The daemon said, her eyes finding the floor much more interesting than the emerald eyes that were looking back at her.

"No, I want you to keep me warmmm," Eleanor mumbled, sleep was already slowly overtaking her body as she stretched her arms towards Velvet.

"And why would I do that?" The daemon questioned.

"This is your fault, Velvet, because of that stupid costume you made me weeeaaar!" The exorcist groaned, her drowsiness slurring her speech quite a bit.

"Why'd you make me wear it in the first place?" Eleanor managed to add as she tried to blink away the drowsiness that was taking over her body.

Velvet mumbled a response as her face managed to become an even deeper shade of red, but her answer was inaudible to the exorcist.

"What was that? I can't hear you," Eleanor sat up as she spoke. Suddenly annoyed with Eleanor's attitude, Velvet moved closer towards the exorcist, their foreheads just inches away from each other.

"Because you're so _fucking_ distracting that I can't fight properly with you around," The daemon seethed. Velvet's words seemed to have woken the exorcist up as she suddenly replied with the same frustration and anger in her tone.

"Oh and you aren't?! Do you even look at yourself in the mirror!?" Eleanor pointed at the daemon as if she were scolding a child, "Do you know how hard it is not to stare at—" Out of frustration, Velvet reached for the back of Eleanor's head and had practically slammed their faces together, kissing her roughly.

"Hmmh!" The exorcist had involuntarily let out a shrill sound as the daemon continued her attack.

Despite the heat and shockwaves that continuously went down Eleanor's spine, she did not want to go down without a fight. The exorcist pushed her tongue towards the daemon's lips as she grabbed onto whatever clothing she could use as leverage, forcing her tongue into Velvet's mouth as they both struggled to gain the upper hand.

* * *

It had taken quite a while before one of them decided to back out. Surprisingly Velvet pushed herself away from Eleanor first, with the both of them gasping for air. A trail of saliva that had quickly broken was the only indication of their previous match, other than the crimson hues on their faces. An awkward silence hung between the both of them as they avoided each other's gaze.

"Are you warm enough now?" The daemon suddenly asked, amber eyes meeting emerald. Velvet's expression was unreadable.

"...No," Eleanor answered distractedly before she could think straight. The exorcist's eyes widened as she quickly covered her mouth, now fully aware of everything that had just transpired between them. Before Eleanor could combust and attempt to die out of sheer embarrassment, Velvet spoke.

"You're such a spoiled brat," The daemon said as she rolled her eyes.

"Huh?" Eleanor's eyebrows shot up at Velvet's comment.

"...Fine," Velvet suddenly said, perplexing the exorcist even more as the daemon pushed her to lay down. Velvet slid her body closer towards the exorcist who had turned away from her instinctively. Before Eleanor could get further, the daemon draped her arm around the exorcist's waist. With their closeness Velvet's body felt like it was somehow burning— which shouldn't have as she usually couldn't feel the heat nor cold— the daemon forced herself to close her eyes, even if her heart pounding was the only thing she could hear.

"Um," Eleanor squeaked, their intimacy at this moment flustering her more than their previous fight now that she was fully awake.

"This is your fault now, sleep." Velvet mumbled into the exorcist's hair, sounding genuinely tired herself.

"Okay," Defeated, Eleanor accepted her fate that she could never think straight with the daemon around.

* * *

"...Here," Eizen hesitantly handed over two sacks of gald to the witch.

"I'm so _gald_ that we've reached an agreement~! Oh, once I publish this book of their scandalous escapades I'll be rich and famous~! Not that I'm not already rich and famous, but even more so!" Magilou yelled, twirling as she did. The pirate rubbed his temples in frustration.

"What do you even need this much gald for?" Eizen questioned the jolly witch.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Magilou shot back as she grinned mischievously back at the pirate who arched a brow in response to her antics.

"Actually… I'd rather not," The pirate quipped after he had recalled the events that led to him losing fifty thousand gald before taking his leave.

"Oh well, that's your loss!" Magilou yelled back and called for her malak, who materialized in an instant. "Bienfu! Be a dear and use this gald to buy the largest telescope you can get~"

"Yes, Miss Magilou!" Bienfu replied eagerly as he went off to do his task. Unbeknownst to the chuckling witch, another malak was right behind her, approaching her with small steps.

"Magilou, what do you need a telescope for?" Laphicet asked as he tilted his head.

Magilou's smile had grown wider as she replied,

"For great things, boy." The witch huffed as she rested her hands on her hips.

"Greater than the stars?" The boy's eyes innocently twinkled in curiosity.

"You bet."


End file.
